What Is Outsourced Recruitment and How Can It Help SMEs?

You may hear it called outsourced, embedded, fractional or on-demand recruitment. There are differences between them, but the idea is similar: bringing in recruitment support as and when you need it.

To put it simply, I become your recruiter when you need me, working alongside your business without joining your permanent headcount.

For small and medium-sized businesses, it’s a way to have an experienced recruiter who gets to know your business, without the cost of employing an internal recruiter full-time.

Why it can work well for SMEs

Most SMEs don’t hire at a steady, predictable rate. You might recruit several people while your business is growing, then have no vacancies for months, or a new project or an unexpected resignation can suddenly leave you needing someone quickly.

Employing an internal recruiter may not make sense when your hiring needs vary. But without this dedicated resource, recruitment usually lands with the business owner, a manager or someone in HR who already has a full workload.

And recruitment takes more time than people expect. Once the job brief is defined and the advert is up, there are applications to review, candidates to speak with, interviews to arrange and references to check. All of that needs to fit around your day job, often while you’re also covering that vacant role.

That’s where I can help. I take care of the recruitment and keep things moving, so it doesn’t keep slipping down your to-do list.

How outsourced recruitment works

We start by talking about the role, your business and where you need help.

Some clients want me to manage the full process, from defining the role through to advertising, actively sourcing candidates, screening, interviews, reference checking and offer support.

Others have some parts of it covered. They might need help sorting through a large number of applications, conducting phone screens, or approaching people in the ‘passive market’ who aren’t actively looking for a new role.

We agree on where you need my support, what I’ll take care of and how we’ll work together.

My fee is based on the hours I work. You can simply dial me in when you need me, with the level of support changing as your needs change.

How is this different from a traditional recruitment agency?

Traditional agencies typically charge a placement fee of 15%–20% of the successful candidate’s annual salary.

At talent co:lab, I charge an hourly consulting rate for the time I spend on your recruitment. There’s no placement fee at the end. You’re paying for the work involved, whether you need help with one part of the process or the whole thing.

The difference is also in who you work with. With talent co:lab, you work directly with me throughout. The person you brief at the start is the person reviewing applications, speaking with candidates, and keeping you updated.

You have the benefit of my 18-plus years of recruitment experience, from the first conversation through to the offer.

One recruiter across your entire business

Traditional recruitment companies often have consultants who specialise in particular areas, such as IT, construction, or logistics. As a generalist recruiter, I work across finance, engineering, sales, operations, marketing, management, and business support, so you have one person to call, even when the roles are quite different.

Many of my clients come back when they need to recruit again. The longer we work together, the better I understand their business, their team and the people who work well within it. That also helps me give candidates a clearer picture of the business and what they can expect.

What else do you gain?

Beyond saving time and having flexible support, there are a few things that can make a real difference.

Help finding people who aren’t applying

Advertising is often part of the process, but it doesn’t always bring the right person. I can also search for and approach people who may be suitable, including those who aren’t actively looking for a new role.

Someone to talk through the options with

Sometimes a CV doesn’t tell the whole story. A candidate might have relevant experience from another industry or be ready to step up into a bigger role. I can explore that with them and help you weigh up who is worth meeting and why.

Good communication with candidates

The way you recruit leaves an impression of your business. Keeping people informed, being clear about the role and following up after interviews all matter, including for the people you don’t hire. Having someone responsible for that helps prevent candidates being left waiting while you’re busy elsewhere.

Need a hand with recruitment?

If recruitment is taking up more of your time and budget than you’d like, let’s have a chat about where I could help.